`Obama administration`s commitment on human rights unwavering`

Washington: The Obama administration on Friday said that its strong human rights record in its first 11 months is just the beginning of a new era of US leadership and engagement in the world.

"I believe, it`s only just the beginning of what`s possible as part of a new era of American leadership and engagement in the world," National Security Advisor General
(Rtd) James Jones said in a statement on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.

The administration has not only raised its concerns about human rights abuses publicly, it has condemned human rights abuses in Sudan, Cuba, Russia, Guinea, Zimbabwe and Syria; deplored the systematic rapes and sexual violence in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo; and called attention to the continued repression in Burma and Iran.

The President has also been clear on our commitment to equal rights: for women; ethnic and religious minorities; and lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals, he said listing out the steps taken by President Barack Obama in the first 11 months of his administration.

"We have sought to engage the rest of the world on human rights and democracy, not simply chastising other governments publicly where we have concerns. I have been at the President`s side as he has travelled around the world and met with his counterparts, and I can attest—in every country where we have a concern about human rights or democracy, the President raises these issues directly," he said.